Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Empire Emma’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Empire Emma’, characterized by its compact, upright and mounding plant habit; freely branching habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with light bronze-colored ray florets; and natural season flowering about October 11 th  in the Northern Hemisphere.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Empire Emma’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, commercially grown as a perennial garden Chrysanthemum, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Empire Emma’.

The objective of the breeding program is to create new perennial garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having uniformly rounded plant habit, inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in October, 2002, in New York Mills, N.Y. of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Empire Harmony’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,830, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number G01-12, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in New York Mills, N.Y. in September, 2003.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in New York Mills, N.Y. in October, 2003. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Empire Emma’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Empire Emma’ as a new and distinct garden Chrysanthemum cultivar:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and mounded plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences.     -   5. Light bronze-colored ray florets.     -   6. Natural season flowering occurs about October 11^(th) in the         Northern Hemisphere.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in New York Mills, N.Y., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the female parent, ‘Empire Harmony’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more mounded than plants         of ‘Empire Harmony’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered two weeks after         plants of ‘Empire Harmony’ when grown under natural season         conditions.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences         than plants of ‘Empire Harmony’.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in New York Mills, N.Y., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered one week later than         plants of the male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had slightly larger         inflorescences than plants of the male parent selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the male parent selection         differed in ray floret color as plants of the male parent         selection had pink-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Denise’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,178. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in New York Mills, N.Y., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of ‘Denise’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were smaller and more mounded         than plants of ‘Denise’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered five days later than         plants of ‘Denise’ when grown under natural season conditions.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had slightly smaller         inflorescences than plants of ‘Denise’.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Gedi One Pra’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,892. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in New York Mills, N.Y., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of ‘Gedi One Pra’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were smaller than plants of         ‘Gedi One Pra’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered one week earlier         than plants of ‘Gedi One Pra’ when grown under natural season         conditions.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences         than plants of ‘Gedi One Pra’.     -   4. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum resisted         fading longer than ray florets of plants of ‘Gedi One Pra’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Empire Emma’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the top of the sheet is a close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Empire Emma’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in New York Mills, N.Y. during the late spring and summer in a polycarbonate-covered greenhouse and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial garden Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 32° C. and night temperatures averaged 21° C. Plants were grown in 15-containers under short day/long night conditions. Plants were eleven weeks from planting when the photographs and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Empire Emma’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Empire             Harmony’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,830.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number G01-12,             not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at temperatures of             about 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About ten to twelve             days at temperatures of about 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Perennial decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum.             Compact, upright and mounded plant habit. Freely branching             habit, about five lateral branches each with multiple             secondary branches; pinching is not required; dense and full             plant habit. Strong and vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 15 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 23 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 14.5 cm. Diameter: About             6 mm. Internode length: About 1.4 cm. Strength: Strong.             Texture: Pubescent; longitudinally ridged. Color: Close to             147B.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About             6.3 cm. Width: About 5.4 cm. Apex: Broadly acute to             mucronate. Base: Truncate with attenuate tendencies. Margin:             Palmately lobed, sinuses between lateral lobes mostly             parallel. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescence;             veins prominent on lower surface. Color: Developing foliage,             upper surface: Close to 147A. Developing foliage, lower             surface: Close to 137B. Fully expanded foliage, upper             surface: Close to 147A; venation, close to 147C. Fully             expanded foliage, lower surface: Close to 147B; venation,             close to 147C. Petiole: Length: About 1.8 cm. Diameter:             About 3 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent.             Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 147B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with             elliptical-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on             terminals above foliage. Disc and ray florets arranged             acropetally on a capitulum. Inflorescences faintly fragrant.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower about October 11^(th) in the Northern Hemisphere.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about three weeks in an outdoor nursery.             Inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 28 inflorescences develop             per lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 1.5 cm. Diameter: About             1.4 cm. Shape: Oblate. Color: Close to 160A.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 5.8 cm. Depth (height):             About 2.6 cm. Disc diameter: About 5 mm. Receptacle             diameter: About 2.1 cm. Receptacle height: About 7 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to 147A.         -   Ray florets.—Shape: Elliptical; partially quilled.             Orientation: Initially upright, then about 90° from             vertical. Aspect: Initially incurved, then mostly flat;             apices reflex with development. Length: About 2.6 cm. Width:             About 8 mm. Apex: Obtuse to shallowly emarginate. Base:             Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous; velvety; longitudinally ribbed. Number of             ray florets per inflorescence: About 274 arranged in about             18 whorls. Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to             160A. When opening, lower surface: Close to 160B. Fully             opened, upper surface: Close to 162A; color becoming closer             to 162C with development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close             to 162C; color becoming closer to 162D with development.         -   Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, elongated. Length: About 4 mm.             Diameter: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets per             inflorescence: About 120. Color, immature and mature: Apex:             Close to 7B. Mid-section: Close to 8B. Base: Close to 157D.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 38             arranged in about three or four whorls. Length: About 9 mm.             Width: About 2.5 mm. Shape: Narrowly elliptical. Apex:             Acute. Base: Truncate. Texture, upper surface: Smooth,             glabrous. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent. Color, upper             surface: Close to 146B. Color, lower surface: Close to 147B.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 2.6 cm. Length,             fourth peduncle: About 5 cm. Diameter, terminal peduncle:             About 3.5 mm. Angle: Mostly upright to 45° from vertical.             Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color: Close to 191A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Not observed. Gynoecium:             Pistil length: About 6 mm. Stigma shape: Bi-parted. Stigma             color: Close to 5A. Style length: About 4 mm. Style color:             Close to 145D. Ovary color: Close to 157D.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated excellent garden performance and will overwinter in     USDA Zones 5 and higher; plants of the new Chrysanthemum have been     observed to tolerate high temperature of about 38° C. 

1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Empire Emma’ as illustrated and described. 